1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an actuator for selectively operating one or more remotely disposed devices and more specifically to such an actuator which is highly compact, requires relatively little power and which is particularly suited for use in automotive vehicles and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a previously proposed arrangement via which two separate remote latch mechanisms or devices 1, 2 can be operated by a single control unit 3. As sbown, this arrangement includes a pivotally mounted plate 4 in which an arcute slot 6 is formed. A manually operable lever 8 is connected to tbe plate 4 for inducing pivotal movement thereof.
The ends of the wires or similar flexible cable members 10, 12 (such as the inner members of a Bowden cable) are slidably received in the arcuate slot 6 in a manner that lost motion connections are defined. With this arrangement when the lever 8 is rotated in the direction indicated by "L" only cable 12 is drawn in a manner which selectively releases latch 2 while the end of the cable 10 interconnecting the control unit 3 and the latch device 1 is permitted to slide in the slot toward the end of the cable being drawn away from latch 2; and vice versa.
To ensure that the manually operable lever 8 returns to a predetermined neutral position after being released, springs 14, 16 are connected to the plate 4 as shown.
This arrangement while being simple, suffers from the drawbacks that if the stroke of the cables required to operate the latches is relatively long the size, (e.g. radius) of the plate 4 and/or the angle through which it must be pivoted increases proportionally and the control unit 3 becomes overly large and bulky and therefore difficult to dispose in a convenient location within the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle or the like.
Further, as the path along which the ends of the cables 10, 12 are drawn is arcuate difficulties have been experienced in arranging the cables with respect to the plate. Viz., the cables 10, 12 tend to project out from the control unit 3 in essentially diametrically opposed directions. This of course further hampers location of the control unit 3 as space is required to permit the cables to be lead in a concealed manner away from the control unit to the respective latch devices 1, 2 associated therewith.